


Free

by Mister_Rat



Series: Zoo and Beyond [1]
Category: Madagascar (Movies)
Genre: Canon - Video Game, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Flashbacks, Foreshadowing, Gen, Male Friendship, Slapstick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 15:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4396835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mister_Rat/pseuds/Mister_Rat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marty wasn't on his own when he escaped the zoo that night. Rated for mild elements and flying trash bins...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Free

**Author's Note:**

> Reason for this story: nostalgia for the Madagascar Video Game...such memories...even though I no longer have the means to play it. 
> 
> Curse you, CD scratches!
> 
> As such, consider this work a sort of novelization to the second level. If some of the details seem off to you, know that those were either intentional or overlooked.

Though New York holds the title of "City that Never Sleeps", there are residents of hers that don't mind catching a few winks. The denizens of Central Park Zoo were among them, all fast asleep for a brand new day of entertaining the daily influx of visitors.

Well almost.

A lone zebra stared ahead at the overly extravagant mural in front of him, the lifeless eyes of painted animals staring back unemotionally and offering no answer to his current plight. He could only sigh in tired frustration as his mind replayed the conversation from a minute ago.

_My life is half over._

_No one will ever know._

_Yeah, of course I'm joking._

' _I guess that talk with Alex worked...,'_ the zebra let a halfhearted grin take over, ' _if you can call a cheesy dance number and badmouthin' the neighbors as working.'_

Even if he'd never know what lies beyond this zoo, at least he wouldn't be alone for the rest of his days. He'd always have friends here, lack of support today aside.

' _Still,'_ his grin weakened back into a frown, _'is it too much to see even a little of what's out there?'_

So lost in thought, he never heard the sound of someone popping out his "Alex the Lion" souvenir cup from the ground. Steel-blue eyes scanned the area for any potential eavesdroppers before they settled on the equestrian.

Marty _did_ hear, however, the sound of someone hissing a 'psst, quadruped' at him. He turned around and discovered Skipper's head and upper body poking out from the same hole he and his team created this morning.

"I've heard some rumors about your supposed disposition to the confines of your brick-laden cell," the penguin stated in his militarily suave voice.

The zebra shifted his emerald eyes to and fro before refocusing them on the penguin in bemusement. A dictionary would've been nice right now. "Uh, one more time; different."

Skipper pointed a flipper at him. "You want outta this place."

A faint scoff escaped the zebra, half out to Skipper and half under his breath. "You bet I do."

In response, Skipper grinned haughtily with exaggerated swings of his flippers. "Then welcome aboard the Freedom Express, my monochromatic friend! All you gotta do is stick close to me at all times, and do not panic!"

Marty perked an eyebrow at him. "Uh yeah, quick question: if we're supposed to be sneaking out without the humans knowing, then why are you _yelling_?"

Skipper raised a flipper as if to answer, only to lower it back down as if just now realizing something, face a comically frozen 'oops'. "That is a good question, Stripes," he spoke in a more hushed tone, "uh, let me get back to you on that."

With that said, the penguin slipped back underground. Marty could only shake his head amusedly when sudden snores drew his attention to Melman, the sleeping giraffe still standing where he and the others left him, while the vaguely audible sounds of bubbles popping from Gloria's pool and Alex's breathing echoed nearby.

A rueful smile crossed the zebra's face. _'I know it ain't cool to just up and leave these guys, but it's just Connecticut for cryin' out loud! Ain't like I'm goin' on a trip around the world!'_

Snippets of his earlier conversation with Alex came to mind again.

In all honesty, maybe the grass _wouldn't_ be as green on the other side, but would never knowing be any better? Just like he'd told the lion, his life was half-over and he wasn't getting any younger. Here he's been wasting his life with rinse-and-repeat shows and for what?

Marty hardened his face just as Skipper reappeared in the enclosure. The zebra turned around to face the bird, ready to follow whatever orders necessary as long as they meant getting out of here.

"Alright, listen and listen good, Stripes," Skipper began once he hopped out of the hole and as he waddled towards the zebra with a serious countenance, flippers behind his back making him look all the military man—um, bird he was.

"Normally I'm against involving civilians in missions, but there's something about you that I can tell is just too good for this cesspool of gilded cages. That and my men and I owe you one for not blabbing our objective all over the place."

Marty smiled at this accolade, although he tried not to wince at how he might've slipped the secret out a little during the birthday party. He trotted over to Skipper. "So, how exactly do we plan on acing this place?"

"You're a step ahead of me, soldier! First things, first, though, you're gonna need some intel on how the security here works. That is, if you're up to it."

Looking back again at the enclosures that housed his friends, Marty remembered their negative reactions to his desire to see the wild. He turned to Skipper with eyes full of determination.

"Alright, let's do it!"

"Atta boy!" Skipper softly exclaimed before pointing a flipper to a nearby gate, "follow me over there, and I'll show ya the ropes."

Nodding in understanding, Marty easily jumped over the walls of his enclosure alongside Skipper and walked with him to the indicated gate, which the zebra promptly kicked up with a swift kick, the act filling him with a strange sort of rebelliousness he couldn't deny enjoying.

Once the pair cleared the gate, they took a peek around the corner and noticed a flashlight-wielding security guard in blue standing watch over by the rhino enclosure straight up ahead, another gate just beyond him.

Marty squinted his eyes at a device sticking out of the brick wall, right next to the gate.

' _That's gotta be part of the security Skipper was talkin' about.'_

As if right on cue with the zebra's thoughts, Skipper looked up at him and began to explain exactly that. "Alright, Stripes, here's the situation: the entire zoo is sealed tight by a series of locked gates. Each gate requires a special key to gain access to the next area."

Marty narrowed his eyes at the guard. "Let me guess; the guard up ahead has got one of 'em."

"Bingo. Be careful, though, Stripes. These guards may look dim—and they are—but they can be quick with those flash-sticks of theirs. You're gonna need to think on those fancy cloppers of yours if you want out of this zoo."

Somehow Marty wasn't surprised that he'd have to do this task himself, not that he had any complaints about that. This _was_ his escape attempt, after all. Besides, for some reason, he had this burning desire to show Skipper what he's made of.

With a confident grin, Marty slunk like a snake out into the open, belly to the ground, taking note of the pattern in which his target would turn to and fro. Once within a close enough yet still safe distance, Marty counted in his head the number of seconds before the light turned away from him.

The moment it did, faster than lightning he rolled up straight to the guard's backside and delivered a fierce back-kick, knocking the hapless human clean off his feet and into unconsciousness, the flashlight rolling away until Skipper's foot stopped it.

The commando penguin flashed a proud smirk to the equine. "Not bad; keep this up and you might just earn yourself an honorary spot on my unit."

Mary smiled at the compliment. "Hey thanks!" He looked to the guard curiously, who he knew wouldn't stay down forever. "So, any ideas on what to do with this guy?"

Skipper's smirk became even stronger.

"I got one."

* * *

The guard's body skidded onto the floor of the hay storage facility before Marty kicked the door closed and Skipper used one of the guard's pilfered keys to lock it.

That ought to hold the chump until morning.

Skipper then tossed the Zone Ostrich Card (seriously, who came up with that name?) to Marty, who skillfully caught it in between his teeth. Trotting all the way to the gate with Skipper sliding close behind, Marty inserted the card into the machine and the Zone Ostrich gate slid open in response.

"Welcome to Zone Ostrich, my monochromatic friend!" Skipper quietly greeted before sliding into said area.

Marty beamed at the progress being made. At this rate, he'd be out of this zoo in no time! A swagger in his step, he moved to follow until a deep tired voice stopped him.

"So you're really going for it, huh Marty."

Slightly startled, the zebra spun around and discovered a familiar rhino languidly eyeing him from the passed-by enclosure: Russell. He and Marty weren't exactly close, but they had talked a lot in the past; personally, Marty considered him an okay guy, albeit somewhat gloomy since the larger ungulate always wore a look of exhaustion.

"Uh yeah, I am," Marty spoke hesitantly, uncertain as to whether he should be disclosing this information (wow, way to take a page out of the penguins' book) even though he knew Russell well enough that successfully lying to the rhino would be next to impossible.

Russell merely shrugged his bulky shoulders. "I figured you would. You were always more broad-minded than the rest of us. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone where you're going. Just go out there and find whatever it is you're looking for."

A smile of gratitude swept across Marty's face. "Thanks man. That means a lot coming from you; it really does."

Russell nodded in return, his smile more awake than usual. "One more thing: wherever you go, promise yourself you won't look back with regret on what you've left behind, okay?"

That suggestion caused Marty to frown. He always understood Russell to have a cryptic side, not to mention the rhino had a habit of spewing words like a self-help book, so the zebra wasn't surprised at the words.

Those same words didn't make him wonder any less, however. "Uh, yeah, whatever you say man," Marty awkwardly returned before proceeding through the entryway to Zone Ostrich while Russell simply laid down and fell asleep.

' _Don't look back with regret on what you've left behind. What did he mean by that?'_

Shaking his head to rid himself of the doubt Russell's advice planted in his heart, he noticed Skipper awaiting him patiently by a penguin-sized hole in the wall, one that led to the other end of the roughly C-shaped zone. Keeping his wits about himself, Marty bit back the urge to call and wave as he instead silently trotted over to Skipper.

"Slight change of plan, Stripes; my sources tell me the card to Zone Monkey is in Zone Bird, just adjacent of here," he pointed a flipper at a hay-bale barricade some distance across from them, "We can enter it from a small crawl-space halfway into this area, except we have more guards to get past."

"Got it," replied the zebra, nodding attentively.

After narrowly dodging four more flashlight beams and taking out just as many guards along the way (courtesy of random empty trashcans scattered throughout the place), Marty and Skipper reached their destination then got on their bellies to enter the space; the going proved rather claustrophobic in Marty's case but soon the pair emerged into their destination.

Zone Bird possessed something of a circular shape, the massive toucan cage in the center taking up most of it while segmented hedges trailed around it, a guard standing behind each one, something Marty grimaced at instantly.

' _On the bright side, though, this setup could work to my advantage.'_

"Yo, Skipper, you go on ahead. I'll catch up; something tells me this part might take some time. And don't worry; I already got a plan for _these_ fools."

Skipper huffed haughtily at the equine's gutsy assurance. "Hmph, whatever ya say, Stripes. Then I'll be on the opposite side of this birdcage."

At his partner's agreeing nod, Skipper slid behind the hedges, which easily hid him from the lights.

Now was Marty's turn.

Slowly breathing through his nose to help his confidence, the zebra belly-crawled next. With each hedge passed, he would carefully maneuver around it and knock a guard out of commission. This pattern repeated two more times before he reunited with Skipper on the other side.

The moment the two monochromes met back up, Marty noticed a stationary guard in the way, the flashlight-beam allowing no space to sneak past, even for someone Skipper's size.

However, before the zebra could ask the bird about their next course of action, a squawky voice interrupted.

"Don't say it. Don't say it. I've heard it all before." Marty and Skipper perplexedly stared at the large-headed toucan eyeing them tiredly from his high perch in the cage yet before either of them could speak, the tropical avian went on.

"Ha, ha, yes, you conveniently have no idea what I'm talking about. Yes, my nose is very gargantuan. It's a serious medical condition that affects my species to varying degrees. Yes, I am getting a nose job then I'll be sure to point out all _your_ shortcomings!"

Eyes shooting to the guard in chagrin, Marty waved his front hooves at the toucan desperately, making sure to keep his own voice at a low level. "Settle down, pal! No one's making fun of your nose! We're just trying to get out of here without gettin' busted by these guards."

The toucan eyed him for a second—almost as if deciding whether or not he told the truth—before he sighed in reluctance.

"Well since I suppose you're not here to destroy what little self-image I have left, I suppose I can tell you about the poles stationed around this zoo, like the one over there". He gestured a colored wing to the steel-grey audio-pole just around the corner and standing just shy of the guard's light. "The staff never bothered to shut 'em off, so you can use those to lure guards out of your way. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm due for some ruing over my lot in life."

' _Okay,'_ a wary Marty thought as he and Skipper slowly walked away from the apparently ill-ticking toucan and towards the sound-pole. The zebra couldn't help shaking his head in both annoyance and sympathy. He always knew nobody in this zoo represented perfection (despite whatever Alex said) but _sheesh._

Then again, despite being a sociable animal, he only ever stuck to his three friends, only chatting it up with certain other zoo animals like Russell out of courtesy, so seeing someone besides Melman exhibit such neurotic behavior unnerved him. _'If this is what zoos can do to you, no wonder Skip and his cronies are tryin' ta bust outta here!'_

Something in his gut suddenly sank at this thought, even as the zebra absently kicked the sound-pole and then the attracted guard a few moments later.

No, no, no, his situation and the penguins' were completely different: _they_ were the ones trying to escape; he just wanted...a vacation from this place!

' _Yeah, that's right! A vacation; a trip to some place where I can run wild and free for just a few sweet moments. I'm not leaving Ali-al and the others behind for good...right?'_

A slap on the left foreleg snapped him back to reality. Marty blushed when he noticed Skipper's impatient glare and akimbo flippers. "Oh right, my bad," the zebra mumbled, "I was just thinking about what I'll do after I get out of here."

"There'll be plenty of time for that later, Stripes. That janitor over there's got the card you need, so you're gonna need your back-hooves to convince him to hand it over."

Marty took note of the wizened white-haired janitor in cobalt. Trying not to feel too bad, he charged into the man's backside and sent him sprawling, the card in his pocket falling to the floor. As the janitor cowered in the corner right next to the gate, the penguin plucked the card up and carried it under his right flipper while Marty kicked the next gate open. The monochrome pair traversed into a small alcove and then through a crawl-space that led right back into Zone Ostrich.

The rest of the way to Zone Monkey involved three guards whose removal required some strategy. _'Good,'_ Marty mused in relief as he got to work, _'any more thinking to myself and I'll be high-tailing it to the doctor with Melman.'_

When the guards were gone and the card for Zone Monkey opened the gate, however, Skipper didn't swagger in like last time. To Marty's interest, he instead took his sweet time going through, forcing the zebra to trot at an even pace.

Just what on Earth could be going through that bird's head?

"Do you remember when me and the other penguins came to this zoo, Stripes?" the arctic commando suddenly asked, voice unusually pensive.

Marty could not bring himself to reply, and not just because of the suddenness of the question. What Skipper asked of him was so long ago. Skipper continued on before the zebra could answer.

"We weren't born in this zoo, if you can recall. The people brought us here after their ship stumbled across our iceberg a bit off the coast of Antarctica. We were just little chicks back then, hardly knowing what was in store for us, but even in our naiveté we welcomed the change with open flippers. "

' _Oh yeah...,'_ Marty finally remembered, _'Skipper and his crew have been here for so long, it's hard to imagine they being from anywhere else.'_

Back then, there had been gossip between the older zoo animals about the penguins' arrival. Only a foal back then, Marty had only hoped the quartet wouldn't be as much of show-offs as the new lion cub was, so he was largely taken back by the military style in which the birds conducted themselves right from the get-go.

Did he envy them back then for that?

Perhaps or maybe it was their own close-knit togetherness that made the little zebra yearn for something similar.

Was it simply that they acted like a family?

That last one could be valid. Marty was transferred to the Central Park Zoo at infancy alongside his older brother, so he never got to know his parents, let alone their names. Plus, being the only one of his species here inclined him to loneliness rather easily.

Maybe that's why he befriended Gloria and Melman so quickly (to fill in the lack of siblings) and Alex so slowly (from fear of being replaced in his own little family).

"My boys and I have come a long way since then," Skipper continued all the while, seemingly oblivious to his partner's thoughtful mood, "Missions, recon, battles, you name it; and we don't intend to stop now, no matter what those oversized hairless apes claim otherwise."

He turned to Marty, eyes half-lidded in wonder. "That's why I selected to remain behind and help you outta this dump—not just because I know you're too good to stay locked in here, but because others will follow in your footsteps once they recognize the reasons behind your actions."

Marty couldn't help but scoff mild-manneredly at Skipper's reasoning. Honestly, he doubted anyone else besides him and the penguins would have the guts to risk an escape of their own.

The others loved this zoo too much to leave, let alone be sick and tired of it.

No, they would rather live blissfully unaware of what lay outside their tiny world than broaden their horizons.

All that mattered to the others consisted of luxury and free meals and attention from disgustingly adoring fans, all things that never bothered Marty before yet now aggravated him in the dark silence.

Ignorance.

That was how the others wished to remain.

That was how the others wished _Marty_ to remain.

That was how the others wished _Marty_ to remain even when—

Without thinking let alone realizing he and Skipper had already entered Zone Monkey, Marty released a growl as he savagely kicked a supply cart in his path without looking, taking out two guards in one false swoop.

Skipper blinked in surprise, taken back by the sudden display of aggression.

' _What the duce has gotten into_ him _?'_

Even though he hadn't personally known Marty for long, he could tell this hostility was uncharacteristic of the optimistic zebra. Unfortunately, since the equine did not belong to his unit, barking orders would not guarantee the same level of compliance.

Besides, empathy was not a strong suit of the lead penguin. It'd most likely be best to let the hippie settle his emotions by himself.

No matter how guilty that course of action made Skipper feel.

Meanwhile, Marty felt his hackles drop once he snapped out of his mood and also took note of his reckless behavior. Head drooped in embarrassment at the lack of self-control, he avoided making eye-contact with Skipper as the pair made their way past the monkey cage and towards the next gate.

Kicking the way open, Marty listlessly trotted through while Skipper belly-slid past him to a penguin-sized pipe in the brick wall. Out of the corner of his eye, Marty noticed another janitor standing on the top of those stairs.

Acting on autopilot, he once again kicked another nearby cart then gathered the key from the fallen human, mind no longer focused on his outburst from earlier but instead on something it had brought back to mind.

Something he'd hoped to forget after all these years.

* * *

" _Danny..."_

_A tiny zebra foal stared speechlessly at the still body prone a foot in front of him, lips trembling and verdant eyes shimmering with unshed tears._

_His eyes refused to accept what they say, just as his ears had denied what he'd overheard from the zookeepers._

_So his brother was injured in the escape, so what? Marty knew the older zebra was tougher than that._

_He'd be back to his feet in no time..._

_Right?_

" _Danny...," the foal took a tentative step forward, "Danny, c...c'mon. Get up."_

_This was a joke._

_Yes, this had to be a joke._

_Danny was always playing jokes on him._

_Now would be no different._

_An abrupt grunt escaped the larger zebra. A faint grunt yet a sign of life nevertheless._

_Marty's face lit up with hope...only for it to dissipate into concern at the weakness and resignation in his brother's emerald eyes._

_For a painful moment, they stared at each other, one calm and ready for the end, the other scared and unwilling to let the end come._

" _Marty...," the adolescent equine finally spoke. He barely managed to lift his head to gesture his sibling to come closer. Marty obeyed, albeit with reluctance as if afraid only one more step was what kept his only family from leaving this world._

" _Listen, I need you to promise me...no, I need you to promise_ yourself _: no matter what you go through, don't look back with regret on what you've left behind, 'kay?"_

_Resisting the urge to cry (that ever so tempting urge), Marty merely nodded, not understanding the advice yet still willing to hear his brother out._

_The older zebra's eyes rolled skyward. "So many things I wondered about the outside world. All I got to show for answers are bits and pieces and glimpses. I got to dream and I never got to make those dreams real."_

_His eyes drifted closed._

" _Marty...never let go of your love for the world, little bro. Never let that go."_

_The last words Danny would ever speak._

* * *

"Stripes."

Marty jumped at Skipper's sudden appearance beside him, the key still at the equine's feet. How long had he been spacing out?

A while apparently, for Skipper's eyes seemed to pierce him like broken icebergs into the ocean...all because of the sheer concern visible in them.

"Look, I may not be into the whole touchy-feely junk hippies go on about, but I'm not heartless. Whatever you've been through in life is your business, compadre, but there's something you gotta know before the end of this zoobreak."

"What is it?"

Skipper took a deep breath then softened his gaze.

"I'm proud of you, Marty." Said zebra could not help but gawk at the penguin, greatly taken back. "You heard me, Stripes. You may put on a smile and go through the motions like the others, but deep down, you want more outta this life. You want to live for once so you can rest in peace knowing you tasted the sweet tanginess of life."

' _Proud of me...someone's actually proud of_ me...' Marty could hardly fathom, let alone shake his head. No one, not even his own friends, had ever told him that, not since his brother died. He grinned self-consciously, rubbing one foreleg against the other. "Well, I wouldn't have been able to get this far without your help, Skipper."

The penguin shrugged. "Eh, fair enough point. Still! You never had to take me up on my offer. I was simply opportunity knocking. _You_ had the guts to march right on up and answer," he finished with an admiring grin, one Marty could not resist returning.

Their moment of camaraderie cut short at faint hissing. Puzzled, Marty and Skipper scanned the surrounding area for the source. When the sound repeated, their eyes fell upon on Mason and Phil, the former gesturing a hand for the pair to come closer.

Curious as to what the primates wanted from them, Marty and Skipper shared a look before retracing their steps through the midway gate and approaching the cage.

"Uh, hey Mace, Phil. What's up?" Marty inquired. Like with Russell, the zebra didn't personally know the two chimps save for their daily routine he could always catch out of his peripherals every morning.

Just what did these two primates have to share?

"What's up, my good man," Mason replied in his British accent, "is something that could prove critical to your escape attempt. Then again I wouldn't be surprised at your confusion, gentlemen, considering the recentness of this development."

That statement got Skipper narrowing his eyes. The penguin set his flippers akimbo. "Explain, simian."

"Well," Mason stepped closer and lowered his voice, his cage-mate sitting down beside him, "Phil and I just heard two bypassing guards discuss the sanity of a new member to the zoo security. From what we could tell, this 'Zoo Hunter'"—he quotation-marked with his fingers—"is not an amiable fellow as evidenced by this tranquilizer gun he sports. Dreadful thing, could probably knock an elephant out even."

Okay, wow, this news definitely did _not_ bode well. At least someone around here had the decency to give out a warning beforehand. Marty frowned contemplatively while Skipper rubbed a flipper against the "chin" of his beak.

"I figured those flunkies would bring out the big guns—no pun intended. No worries, we'll get to that when we get to it. We owe you for the inside details, simian." He then turned to his escape partner. "I'll be on the opposite of that pipe there, Marty. We'll rendezvous on the other side."

Marty nodded in agreement, thankful he'd have to take the long way. That would give him some time to steel himself for what would probably be the final battle.

' _Heh, final battle. I sound like I'm in a video game_ ,' he mused with a smirk while Skipper waddled away to the pipe, through which the bird slipped in and out of sight. _'Still, I better come up with an attack plan for that Zoo Hunter.'_

Just as he was about to depart for the zone exit, he tossed a glance over his shoulder.

"Hey, thanks for the info you guys. It's really gonna come in handy."

Phil hand-signed with a frenzy that matched his supportive grin. Mason nodded at the gestures before addressing Marty with a bow of the head. "Indeed, glad we could be of service. We both wish you the best of luck, Marty!"

"Right, see ya!" And like that, Marty was off.

* * *

The remaining way through Zone Monkey and the entire one through Zone Bear proved uneventful aside from knocking out a few guards and a brief passing word with Ted the Polar Bear.

Actually, Ted pointed out a rather interesting detail about the Zoo Hunter's technique.

A detail that could prove to be an advantage.

Marty just needed to know how to take advantage of it.

Unfortunately, he'd ended up with enough time on his hooves to think for he already found himself in the last area of the zoo. No enclosures or cages marked this place, only huge empty space save for the four guards conveniently positioned in direct line with an equally conveniently positioned cart.

' _Seriously, these guys are making it way too easy,'_ thought Marty with an eye-roll as he took one last kick and sent all four guards off to Dreamland. He noticed Skipper standing by the other side of the same pipe from earlier.

A beam full of ecstasy dominated the zebra's face as he quickly galloped to the penguin. Once he reached his partner, Marty took a deep breath, eyes closed, to take in the moment.

This was it.

This was really it.

All that stood between them and freedom—between _him_ and freedom—was one last measly janitor sweeping away.

A rank smell suddenly imposed itself on Marty's nose. The zebra winced at the offensive odor before following his sense of smell skyward just in time to time to see a bunch of balloons tied to a huge trout descend. Before any questions could arise, Skipper quickly undid the knots and tightly grasped the ends with a flipper.

Marty could _not_ believe his eyes.

"Hey, what about me?!" He angrily stomped a front hoof into the ground. This moment felt too much like betrayal. "I can't just float away. Your balloons ain't big enough!"

To his own credit, Skipper sighed, still on the ground thanks to the fish whose fin he held in his other flipper. The lead penguin honestly looked apologetic to leave his comrade behind.

"Afraid this is where we part ways, amigo. It saddens me to leave you like this, but these are harsh realities of war."

In truth, Marty could only sigh in resignation. There'd be no point in arguing against the militaristic thinking of a flipper-footed commando.

"But then, who knows where life will take us?" Skipper continued. "Perhaps one day our paths will cross again, Stripes. 'Til then take care of yourself, got it soldier? You already know where the exit is."

' _Too bad, I figured we'd be walkin' out together,'_ Marty admitted in his head, _'but we still had a pretty good time beating the system.'_

After all, look at how far they'd come—now that Skipper had carried out his role...

' _The rest is up to me.'_

So be it, Marty decided. Crisply saluting, he barked out a strong "Yes, sir!"

Seizing the moment, Skipper released his hold on the fish to return the salute back just as the balloons carried him upward. "See you on the other side!"

That orange-beaked grin, coupled with those ice-blue eyes, disappeared into a cool night sky.

Marty faced the lone janitor in the distance and steeled himself.

' _We're almost there, Bro. Almost there.'_


End file.
